Adjustable stitch cam

ABSTRACT

An arrangement for adjusting stitch cams in circular knitting machines. A cam box assembly, having a front and back plate defining a hollow space therebetween, is mounted in the circular knitting machine. An adjusting member is mounted in the cam box and is movable in said hollow space. A pair of setting pins are rotatably mounted in mating bores of the adjusting member, which extend laterally to the movement thereof, and are adapted to coact with springbiased stitch cam supporting members, slidably mounted in the cam box. A micrometer screw is rotatably mounted in an end member of the cam box so that its shank portion extends into the hollow space and the adjusting member is urged against the shank portion by the action of the spring biased stitch cam supporting members.

Bandoch et al.

[451 Dec. 17, 1974 ADJUSTABLE STITCH CAM Inventors: Rudolf Bandoch, Bilovice; Karel Sodomka, Brno, both of Czechoslovakia Assignee:

vseobecneho strojirenstvi, Brno, Switzerland Filed: Sept. 8, 1972 Appl. No.: 287,427

52 us. 01. 66/54, 66/57 [51] Int. Cl D04b 15/32 [58] Field of Search 66/50 R, -54, 57, 55, 23, 66/27, 71, 77

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS v 2,573,782 11/1951 Zeruneith 66/25 X 2,941,383 5/1959 Michcon et a1... 66/54 3,299,673 1/1967 Noll 66/57 3,614,877 3/1969 Radin 66/54 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,133,066 11/1968 Great Britain 66/57 Vyzkumny a vyvojovy ustav Zavodu 7 Primary ExaminerW. C. Reynolds Assistant ExaminerA. M. Falik [57] ABSTRACT An arrangement for adjusting stitch cams in circular knitting machines. A cam box assembly, having a front and back plate defining a hollow space therebetween, is mounted in the circular knitting machine. An adjusting member is mounted in the cam box and is movable in said hollow space. A pair of setting pins are rotatably mounted in mating bores of the adjusting member, which extend laterally to the movement thereof, and are adapted to coact with springbiased stitch cam supporting members, slidably mounted in the cam box. A micrometer screw is rotatably mounted in an end member of the cam box so that its shank portion extends into the hollow space and the adjusting member is urged against the shank portion by the action of the spring biased stitch cam supporta ing members.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures ADJUSTABLE STITCH CAM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an arrangement for adjusting stitch cams in the cam box assembly of circular knitting machines. r

In the prior art arrangement for circular knitting machines having two or more needle races in the needle dial and also in the needle cylinder of the circular knitting machine, the stitch cams are generally adjusted on the basis of two different known methods of stitch density control.

According to a first known method, the knitting needles of each knitting system are withdrawn in all races by one stitch cam, and according to the second known method the knitting needles are withdrawn in each race by their own stitch cam.

The first method has the drawback in that all knitting needles are withdrawn, although in some cases the knittion. Thereafter, when the stitch cams are returned to' their operative position, an inaccuracy in their setting and in the clearing stroke occurs. Such inaccuracy arises as follows: the stitch cam which is arranged in the track of the inoperative needle thus is to be set into position zero, that is, into its basic position which is performed manually. For setting the needles into operation it is necessary to reset the stitch cam to make its locking rate exactly agree with thelocking rate of other stitch cams in the same feed, which is a very difficult operation. This causes a. variation of the stitch size by the individual knitting needles and a deterioration in the quality of the end product. This inaccuracy which is inherent in the. prior art designs and is due to the manner of actuatingthe individual stitch cams by selfcontained independent screws or non-circular discs, being particularly sensitive tothe amount of angular displacement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION- internal hollow space in which a micrometer screw is rotatably mounted in the support of the'cam box assembly. A member is adjustably rnovably mounted in I the hollow space of the cam box assembly and has atleast two adjustable setting pins disposed perpendicular to the movement of the member. The setting pins can justingany preselected stitch cams into the operative position, which corresponds to the position of the respective stitch cam before its setting into the inoperative position. This change of the stitch cam position can be carried out even during the machine operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The arrangement of the present invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing which forms part of this application and in which;

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a longitudinal section of the cam box assembly;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line llll of FIG. 1',

and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cross-section of one stitch cam with the setting pin.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated a cam box assembly 1 which includes a rectangular support plate 2, to the side walls of which the front plate Sand the back plate 4 are fixed by means of screws (not shown). The plates 3 and 4 together with the upper and lower end portions of plate 2, hereinafter called a top plate and a bottom plate, respectively, support plate 2 11 with a lateral slot 12, and at the other end which extends inside of the cam box assembly 1, a projection 13 of a halfcylinder shape by means of which each setting pin 9 and 10 is brought into engagement with one of the stitch cams l4 and 15. The stitch earns 14 and 15 are of a prismatic shape and have a pair of opposite grooves 16 into which matingly fit a pairof guide bars 17 which extend from the front plate 3. The stitch cams are fitted on the guide bars 17, which form the longer sides of the rectangular window 18, as depicted in FIG.

j 2, in the front plate 3. The stitch cams 14 and 15 have be manually adjusted and comprise means for automatically securing them in the end positions. The pins have half-cylindrical-shaped projections adapted to engage the noses of the stitch cams which areadjustably slidably mounted on guide bars in the cam box assembly.

The stitch cams are provided with coil springs urging corresponding knitting needles arealso out of action.

'cam surfaces 19 which are situated outside of the cam 'box' assembly 1. Thecamsurfaces 19 control the 'movement of the knitting needles (not shown). The stitch cams l4 and-l5 are mounted for vertical movement.

Simultaneously with the upward movement of the stitch cam 14 and/or the stitch cam 15, respective raising-cams (not shown) are put out of operation in a known way. This means that stitch cam 14 and/or 15 is removed from the path of the needles passing the knitting system in their welt position.

Each one of the stitch cams l4 and 15 has a recess hollow space 5 of the cam box assembly 1 and the coil spring 21 of the other stitch cam 14 bears against a partition 23, which is also fixedly mounted in the internal hollow space 5. The coil springs 21 thus act on the stitch earns 14 and to urge them towards the micrometer screw 7.

The stitch earns 14 and 15 have internally projecting noses 24 which are urged into contact with the projections 13 of the setting pins 9 and 10 by the coil springs I 21 thereby pressing the member 6 against the micrometer screw 7. A'bore 25 extends between the bores for the setting pins 9 and 10 in the member 6. A bore 27 27 which extends parallelto the setting pins 9 and 10 and traverses the connecting bore 25. The distant ends of the two coil springs 26 bear against the arresting balls 28 and 29 which serve for rolling into the corresponding recesses 30 and 31 in the setting pins 9 and 10, thereby arresting the pins 9 and ,10 in their respective end positions.

The back plate 4, whichencloses one side of the hollow space 5 of the cam box assembly 1, is provided with longitudinal slits 32 and 33, through which the stepped portions 11 of the setting pins 9 and 10 outside of the cam box assembly 1 pass and which permits an adjustment of the member 6 jointly with the setting pins 9 and 10. The support plate 2 with both plates 3 and 4 can be mounted so as to constitute a removable assembly which can be inserted into a suitable opening of the cam box assembly 1.

By rotating the knob 8 of the micrometer screw 7 in one direction, an axial displacement of the micrometer screw 7 into the cam box assembly 1 is effected and Similarly it is possible to make the other stitch cam 15 inoperative as it is shown in FIG. 1. This can be done by means of the other setting pin 10 which coacts with the stitch cam 15 for clearing the knitting needles of the following race.

When the knitting needles in one of the races is to be returned to the operative position, the corresponding setting pin 9 or 10 is rotated in the described manner in the opposite direction so that the projection [3 displaces during its annular movement the corresponding stitch cam 14 or 15 by contacting the nose 24 thereof and urging it against the pressure of the coil spring 21 exactly back to the initial position. I

The invention is particularly useful'in cam box assemblies of circular knitting machines where it is essential to maintain a uniform loop size in the knitted fabric after resetting the stitch cams into-their operative positions.

Although the invention is illustrated and described with reference to one preferred embodiment thereof, it

y is to be expressly understood that it is in no way limited thereby there is also effected the adjustmentof the member 6 with the setting pins 9and l0 and with their projections 13, which contact the stitch cams l4 and 15 and act on them against the pressure of the coil springs 21. The adjustment of the stitch cams 14 and 15 toward the needle path increases the stitch length drawn by the knitting needles. Byrotating the knob 8 in the opposite direction, the member 6 is released and thereby displaced upwardly due to the action of the coil springs 21 by a-distance which corresponds to the axial movement of the micrometerscrew 7.

Thus by rotating the knob 8, the clearing rate of the knitting needles in all races of the knitting system is adjusted simultaneously. When one of the races is to'be adjusted so that the knitting needles are inoperative, i.e., in the case of clearing by one ofthe stitch cams 14, 15, the adjustment can be simply made by inserting a suitable tool, Le, a screwdriver, into the lateral slot 12 of the corresponding setting pin, for example, of the setting pin 9, by means of which the pin 9 is rotated and thereby its projection 13 is angularly displaced so that the stitch cam 14 moves into the created free space by means of the arresting ball 28, which rolls'into the corresponding recess 30 in the setting pin 9 due to the action of the spring 26.

to the disclosure of such a preferred embodiment, but

is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An arrangement for adjusting stitch cams in circular knitting machines,comprising in combination,

a cam box having a front plate and a back plate each having at least one opening, said platesdefining a space therebetween, and having a top plate and-a bottom plate; Q I i a member having at least two transverse bores is movably mounted insaid space;

a corresponding number of stitch cam setting pins adjustably mounted in said transverse bores;

, a corresponding number of stitch cams adjustably mounted in said cam box and being adapted to coact with'said setting pins;

screw means threadably mounted in said top plate and extending into said space so as to contact said member;

biasing means disposed in said cam box and urging said member into contactwith said screw means;

the position of said member including the setting pins relative to the distance from thevtop and bottom plates is adjustable by said screw means, whereby an adjustment of each stitch cam'can be made via the coacting setting pin providedthe corresponding setting pin is in its operative position, said stitch cams being individually settable into operative or inoperative position by the turning of said setting pins. 4 I 2. The arrangement as set forth, in claim 1, wherein said member includes anadditional bore disposed between and parallel to said twotransverse bores, a pair .Of bores respectively perpendicularly extending from said additional bore tosaid two transverse bores, a stud mounted in said additional bore, a pair of coil springs respectively mounted in said pair of perpendicularly extending bores, a pair of stop balls disposed in said perpendicularly extending bores between I said coil springs and said setting respectively, each of said setting having at least one recess for accommodating a stop ball so that the'adjusting movement of said setting is arrested when said stop ball enters said recess.

3. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said setting pins and said stitch cams have projections 5 which are adapted to coact with each other, so that an adjusting movement of a pin will effect an adjustment of the corresponding stitch cam in said cam box.

4. The arrangement as set forth in claim 3, wherein said setting have screwdriver-receiving portions which 

1. An arrangement for adjusting stitch cams in circular knitting machines, comprising in combination, a cam box having a front plate and a back plate each having at least one opening, said plates defining a space therebetween, and having a top plate and a bottom plate; a member having at least two transverse bores is movably mounted in said space; a corresponding number of stitch cam setting pins adjustably mounted in said transverse bores; a corresponding number of stitch cams adjustably mounted in said cam box and being adapted to coact with said setting pins; screw means threadably mounted in said top plate and extending into said space so as to contact said member; biasing means disposed in said cam box and urging said member into contact with said screw means; the position of said member including the setting pins relative to the distance from the top and bottom plates is adjustable by said screw means, whereby an adjustment of each stitch cam can be made via the coacting setting pin provided the corresponding setting pin is in its operative position, said stitch cams being individually settable into operative or inoperative position by the turning of said setting pins.
 2. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said member includes an additional bore disposed between and parallel to said two transverse bores, a pair of bores respectively perpendicularly extending from said additional bore to said two transverse bores, a stud mounted in said additional bore, a pair of coil springs respectively mounted in said pair of perpendicularly extending bores, a pair of stop balls disposed in said perpendicularly extending bores between said coil springs and said setting respectively, each of said setting having at least one recess for accommodating a stop ball so that the adjusting movement of said setting is arrested when said stop ball enters said recess.
 3. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said setting pins and said stitch cams have projections which are adapted to coact with each other, so that an adjusting movement of a pin will effect an adjustment of the corresponding stitch cam in said cam box.
 4. The arrangement as set forth in claim 3, wherein said setting have screwdriver-receiving portions which extend through said opening outside of said cam box so that said setting can be manually adjusted by means of a screwdriver. 